November, 2001 Contest: What is the artwork like in your home?

Overall, I love my artwork! If I had a big budget to spend redecorating my house, I’d change all the furniture but keep almost all the artwork.
As it is, I would rather sit on beautiful pillows on the floor and look at fabulous artwork on the walls – even if I only had one piece! Frequently, I visit people who have obviously invested money in their homes, their furnishings, and their entertainment systems but who don’t have a single good piece of artwork in the house. To me, this is sad. But they probably don’t know what they’re missing.

It’s basically a matter of educating people about the value that artwork can add to their lives. Magazines and television commercials have plenty of ads for furniture, linens, and home electronics and for this reason consumers are comfortable with these purchases and are willing to find the money to spend on these items. Artwork is more personal, so I suppose it’s harder to promote effectively.

Good artwork does not need to be expensive. Wonderful pieces can be found in local galleries, at travelling art festivals, and even at local art schools. People are probably intimidated by artwork because they think it needs to be expensive and they probably don’t trust their own instincts.

I suggest that people look around a bit until they find something that really excites them. My artwork is tremendously uplifting to me. It gives me energy. It inspires me. Helps me relax. Makes me more productive. And what’s that worth? Certainly the cost of an ottoman or an area rug!
My favorite piece of artwork is by a Russian artist named Mikhail Chemiakin. The colors are very bold and the piece is highly detailed yet fantasy-like in certain ways. Everytime I look at it I notice something new. It changes as I change. And I like that.